Ayurveda Guide Get Started

Quick introduction to Ayurveda

Start your journey into Ayurveda with this introductory article that explains the core ideas and leads you deeper into Ayurveda ideas and practices.

Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest medical systems. As a system it has a philosophy of health based around the concept of "balance" as well as a toolkit for diagnosis, managing health and illness. Once the main health system within in India, it has been sidelined by the emergence of modern "western" style medicine and is now marginal. Many Indians subscribe to ayurveda and practise ayurvedic treatments, but increasingly patients gravitate towards modern hospitals.

Ayurveda is weakest in the area of surgery and strongest when viewed as a technique for sustaining wellness. People who seek ayurvedic solutions after falling ill are mostly likely to disappointed by the results. There is little evidence that ayurveda is able to achieve results when western medicine fails.

As an ancient system, it is also a continuous tradition, albeit one that is anecdotal and where there is a lack of a central repository of data. Practitioners of ayurveda are frequently secretive of methods and there is a weak tradition of open discourse and debate.

In Kerala, the distinctive ayurveda is called panchakarma which focuses on detoxification of the body through a range of connected treatments.

Ayurveda has been popularised through health resorts in Kerala and yet, elsewhere in the world it is still a "massage" based therapy. But Ayurveda is not just a resort based relaxation package; and rather, this great science is a holistic approach to your wellness.

Here at Karma Kerala, we take Ayurveda very seriously. Enquiries are managed by competent local personnel who liaison with the Ayurveda treatment centre(s) in Kerala to help you achieve the medical outcomes you seek.

Ayurveda Therapy?

Kerala resorts have popularised only one aspect of ayurveda's system: massage also known as abhyanga. Ayurvedic therapies might be characterised as internal, external and enviromental. Ayurvedic treatments combine these different properties through a wide variety of different therapeutic approaches such as massage and diet and meditation. A typical ayurvedic therapy rarely addresses a single "sense" or factor. Ayurveda works through all the senses such as aromatherapy, colour therapy, massage, music therapy, chanting as well non-sensory approaches such as meditation or lifestyle.

Traditional ayurveda also considered other environmental factors such as house, apartment and office structure and astrological effects. These are sciences unto themselves. Vedic architecture (Vastu Shastra) and Chinese Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) deal with the laws of nature that integrate the earth, the person and the planets and stars. The exterior and interior design of buildings can also enhance balance or cause imbalance. Vedic astrology (Jyotish) is the science of understanding the laws of nature of the planets and stars, and how they influence us. Astrology which follows a very different model to western astrology remains a potent force within Indian culture. Many occassions are deliberately scheduled to be auspicious.

Ayurveda recognises a range of illnesses and conditions which it seeks to heal.

Is Ayurveda Holistic?

Ayurveda is often described as holistic in its approach. This means that it takes account of every aspect of your life rather than discreet symptoms of illness. Ayurveda's reliance on the concept of balance requires that every aspect of an individual's life needs to be considered in both diagnosis and treatment therapies: nutrition, career, mental state, personal, family and social activities and the spiritual life. If one of these is impaired, then it can lead to impairment of the whole. Whilst this can seem unscientific in comparison to western medicine, it also offers a rich therapy experience that moves between massage and nutrition to colour therapy or mantra chanting. Interestingly, research in positive psychology is developing a more complete understanding of how patient states impact upon physical health.

Ayurveda Relaxation Packages

Have you been feeling stressed lately? Do you find the world moving on at a strenuous pace... ...and it gets increasingly difficult to catch up?

We at Karma Kerala have just the right remedy for you through Ayurveda, the worlds most eco-friendly system of medicine with proven methods to rejuvenate your body and mind simultaneously. Ayurveda works on a combination of procedures to improve your physical and mental activity measurably.